中傷
ちゅうしょう · chuushou · JLPT N1 · noun
slander
🗣️ 中 = hit (as in 的中, hitting a target) + 傷 = wound: a verbal hit that wounds reputation
中 here means hit or strike, as in 的中 (hitting the bullseye). 傷 means wound. Spreading false claims to hurt someone's reputation is a verbal strike that wounds them.
中 — vertical stroke 丨 through enclosure 口
Pictograph of a banner or pole piercing the center of a target or territory, depicting the idea of 'middle' or 'center'. The horizontal frame represents boundaries, and the vertical line marks the central axis. The meaning extended from spatial center to 'middle, central, China' (中国, the Middle Kingdom).